Can't See the Forest
by Rhea-samma
Summary: It's just another day at the Ministry. Cuddelyprickly Tsusokaness.


I didn't plan to write this. Oh well. I'm too addicted to Yami no Matsuei XD Hm. I hope I do Hisoka justice. For me he's one of the more fascinating characters. I started with the description of Hisoka's eyes and it blossomed from there. I hope you like it.

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Hisoka's eyes reminded him of a forest. It probably sounded corny, but it was true nonetheless Tsuzuki thought absently. His partner's eyes had the dark green of pine needles and they were just as sharp. That and they were old, too old for his adolescent face. However it went further than the apparent age and the color. It was the evidence of violation, just like all the other forests mankind has devastated. The violation went further than what Muraki had done to him, (though that was probably the equivalent of a decade of slash and burn agriculture) it came back to his empathic abilities. All his life Hisoka'd had people's thoughts walking in his mind, invading his brain, like hikers tramping through the woods without care for the plants that had existed there for years, leaving their garbage, and wrappers, and foot steps behind. Their emotions had poisoned him too, and they left damage like pesticides and other pollutants. And the hate his parents had felt toward him was like a colony of termites within the wood, eating away at the trees from within.

Tsuzuki tried to imagine Hisoka's eyes without the damage, without all the detriments that had created the harsh, unforgiving stare the youth now held. He wished he could see the forest of Hisoka's eyes regenerate and heal, become whole once more and erase what mankind had done to him. But that, as with a real forest, was a process that would take years, decdes, perhaps even centuries.His partner flicked a paperclip across the desk at him in annoyance, "You slacker, at least have the decency to pick up a pencil and pretend to work." Tsuzuki grinned sheepishly,

"They say that idleness is the ideal of genius." Hisoka rolled his eyes. Tsuzuki chuckled, "Well, that and I forgot the date." Hisoka made a soft noise of impatience,

"It's the fifteenth you senile old fart." Tsuzuki frowned,

"Hey that's not nice! You're supposed to respect your elders!" Hisoka paused in the middle of the sentence he was writing and looked at Tsuzuki, cracking one of his cold, derisive smiles that didn't reach his verdant eyes,

"You're not old Tsuzuki, you're _ancient_." _Ouch_. That remark actually stung a little. Tsuzuki crossed his arms and pouted. Sulkily he muttered across the desk,

"Hmpf! Better not let Tatsumi hear you say that."

"Better not let Tatsumi catch you slacking off," the youth shot back.

"Hmph! Meanie!" Hisoka closed his eyes with a martyred expression of patience.

"Tsuzuki?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and finish your report." The violet eyes rolled in their sockets,

"Fine, slave-driver." Tsuzuki picked up a pen and started scribbling hastily on the paper in front of him. He glanced at his younger partner who was frowning absently at his own paper, rubbing his forehead. _I wonder what his deal is today? Is he just tired or is there more that's bothering him..? _Tsuzuki pondered, wondering how he could broach the subject with the younger shinigami.

Hisoka sighed, he felt a little guilty for snapping at Tsuzuki like that but he'd been on edge all day, ever since he woke up after barely escaping the entire nightmare of Muraki and the cherry trees. He'd been catching the doctor's name in random thoughts all over the place today as well; reminding him of the marks in and under his skin that he hated thinking about. They were throbbing a little too, as if in response to being acknowledged. It didn't help that the empath had been getting irregular amounts of sleep and often too little for the last week. Hisoka shuddered suddenly as his mind returned to the brandings the doctor had put on him. Resisting the urge to hug himself in front of Tsuzuki, Hisoka settled for biting the inside of his cheek. _Always in my skin even when invisible, branded through the layers of flesh and right onto the bones... Ready to rear up and strike at any moment. _It made him feel like an under grown mongoose fighting a sleepy king cobra, never knowing when the next fight will be. He shook his head, trying to concentrate on the next lines of his report. It was already a few days late and Tatsumi would be after his blood if he didn't get it in soon. Then it hit him. The cobra had managed to strike him again. Stiffening as his body suddenly throbbed with pain, Hisoka had to prise his arms off each other, telling himself firmly that the marks were hidden by his shirt and jacket. He stood suddenly. Tsuzuki looked up at him,

"Hisoka?" Stumbling towards the door Hisoka answered back through a tight throat,

"Nothing. Just need.. A drink of water.." The boy opened the door and left the room before Tsuzuki could say anything else. _Can't breathe... Body hurts..._ He sank to the floor in the narrow hallway. He indulged in his instincts and wrapped himself in the fetal position. He heard Tsuzuki open the door and enter into the corridor as well.

"Hisoka!" The older man knelt down next to the boy but didn't touch him. "Hisoka, are you okay?" The boy plastered a hand to his sweating face, he was laughing at himself. Cruelly. Wildly. The sound of it sent a thrill of alarm through Asato. "Hi-Hisoka?" Involuntary tears filled the boy's broken eyes,

"'It's the fifteenth.' 'It's the fifteenth.' I should have known!" Tsuzuki knit his brows in confusion,

"Hisoka what do you mean..?" The boy rolled up his sleeves, revealing the tips of the evil red marks burning on his skin. Tsuzuki drew in a sharp breath at the sheer evil that radiated from them. Hisoka hadn't shown them to him before, only mentioned it once on the Queen Camellia case, muttering it in a hushed, shamefaced sort of way.

"It's that day! The day it happened." He rolled his head sickly. Hisoka gave a choking, hitched laugh, "Happy Curse Day to me Tsuzuki! Go ahead wish me a 'Happy Curse Day!'" Gently Tsuzuki placed his hands on Kurosaki's shoulders,

"Hisoka..." The youth was giggling dementedly in the sheer irony of it all,

"Aaaahh hahahahaha.. Guess senility is contagious. Come on Tsuzuki, let's sing! Happy Curse Day to me.. Happy.. Happy Curse Day to.. " Tsuzuki held Hisoka close as he started to sob out of pain, shame, and a million other reasons significant and not. Tsuzuki tried to contain his pity, his compassion, his pain at seeing Hisoka this way, but he wasn't sure if he succeeded or not. Tsuzuki pet the boy's soft hair reassuringly, he didn't like the fact that the senseless, savage smile on Hisoka's face was the closest thing to a real smile he'd ever seen from the boy. He didn't like how the forest in Hisoka's eyes looked like it was suffering damage from a hurricane. He tried to soothe the youth, stroked his back and murmured low nonsense words as Hisoka shook with hurt and renewed hatred.

Eventually the marks faded and the pain dulled, and by that time Hisoka had calmed down considerably. They boy lingered in Tsuzuki's calm, protective embrace for a few moments, then roughly pushed himself away. Rolling down his sleeves, he stood up and turned away from Tsuzuki. Hisoka wanted to say something scathing, something threatening to make sure Tsuzuki would never tell a soul what just happened though he knew it wasn't necessary, but even so it would've felt nice to say. His partner stood up behind him and placed a light hand on his shoulder again, slowly so that he could move away if he wanted. When Hisoka didn't, Tsuzuki gave him a light, reassuring squeeze and asked,

"You gonna be okay?" Kurosaki folded his arms and shrugged,

"It'll pass." Tsuzuki frowned,

"That's not exactly what I meant." Hisoka shrugged again and slid his shoulder out from under Tsuzuki's hand,

"I'll live." Tsuzuki smiled and teased,

"But you're dead." Hisoka gave him _the look_,

"Shut. Up. Moron, you know I detest horrible jokes like that. Honestly, you're as bad as Watari." Tsuzuki felt a grin spreading on his face. _There _was the Hisoka he knew. He ruffled the boy's hair affectionately.

"Good to know you're feeling better." Hisoka made his customary gesture of annoyance and flattened his hair,

"What_ever_." Tsuzuki laughed and stared down the hall, towards the lunch room,

"C'mon let's take a break!" Hisoka grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar,

"**_No._** We just had one you lazy bum! Now get back to work!" The boy dragged his choking and protesting partner back to the office.

"Wha? That' wasn't a break that was... I was.. Ouch! Hisoka.. Hisoka I can't breathe very well.. Hisoka! Hisokaaaaaa!" With a rough pull and shove, Hisoka pushed Tsuzuki back into the office and slammed the door behind him.

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End! And they USED to say Idleness is the ideal of genius in the Baroque period. It made me think of Tsuzuki, the lazy genius x333


End file.
